Bay Area unemployment rates drop in February

The state's unemployment rate decreased in February, as did the jobless numbers in many Bay Area counties, according to a report released Friday by the state's Employment Development Department.

California's unemployment rate dropped to 12.2 percent in February compared to 12.4 percent in January, the department said.

Solano County, the Bay Area county with the highest unemployment rate, dropped from 12.4 percent to 12.1 percent over the course of the month. The county with the region's lowest rate, Marin, also decreased from 8.2 percent to 7.8 percent, according to the report.

In San Francisco the rate also decreased, from 9.5 percent to 9.1 percent.

The nation's unemployment rate in February was 8.9 percent.

The state's unemployment rate is based on a federal survey of 5,500 California households and does not include agricultural jobs, according to the department.